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Last updateFri, 03 Oct 2014 3pm

Laguna Chapalac – October 4, 2014

Huichol pilgrimage

On September 23, a group of 36 Wixaritari (Huichols) made a pilgrimage to the Isla de los Alacranes on Lake Chapala to pay homage to Takutsi Nakawe, their ancestral grandmother, who, accompanied by her dog, is said to have landed on the island after the great floods. Legend has it that she was responsible for saving the corn and all the seeds in the New World.

Wildlife champ

Local wildlife rescue and preservation group Fauna Silvestre Mexico recently gave a shout out to Chapala Police Chief Ramon del Arco for his dedication to animal protection and rescue. 

Lake Chapala Toastmasters

The Area contest will be held Saturday, October 4, 10 a.m. in the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Sala. Andrea Buenzli will conduct English Table Topics Contest until 11:30 a.m. with local contestants Arch Crane and Beth McDonald joined by representatives from Guadalajara clubs.

Next will be the formal Evaluation Contest in Spanish conducted by Lucia Diaz for local contestants Arturo Gutierrez and Eduardo Guzman and those from Guadalajara. The top two winners will advance to the next level. Area Governor Tim Schubert is hosting a party at his home. The cost for the meal is 125 pesos.

The Lake Chapala Bilingual Toastmasters group meets from 7 to 8 p.m. on Mondays in the LCS Sala. The side gate on Ramon Corona will be open. For information in English, contact Guy Jobidon, (376) 766-5181. For Spanish call Marissa Urrutia (33) 1600-5937.

Facebook Classes

To help area residents get a handle on communicating with friends and family and participating in the many informational groups, Lorraine Kulig is teaching Facebook classes at American Legion Post 7 at Morelos 114 in Chapala. The classes will be held October 4 through 18.

There is no charge. For information on time and how to sign up, contact: Margaret Irene Graves at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

LCS Health Fair

The annual fall Health Fair sponsored by the Lake Chapala Society is slated for 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, October 8 and Thursday, October 9. The full schedule of events, screenings, immunizations and seminars is available at the LCS. Participants do not have to be members of LCS to be eligible to participate. Coordinators recently received notice that they will have a supply of the five-year pneumonia vaccine available at 400 pesos. They will also have the injection with lifetime protection available at 1,500 pesos.

Ukulele Club

The Club Ukulele de Laguna (CUL) will meet in its new location at Restaurant Maria Isabel beginning Monday, October 6. Maria Isabel, known to many as the Old Posada, is located at Morelos 1 in Ajijic.

CUL is open to anyone who plays ukulele or would like to play ukulele. Weekly workshops are held every Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. An optional free class for beginners is held on the second, third, and fourth Mondays at 1:15 p.m.

For more information, contact Sheila at (33) 1096-4920 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Canadian Thanksgiving

The Canadian Club of Lake Chapala is hosting Thanksgiving Dinner on Monday, October 13 at La Nueva Posada. Cocktails will be served at 5 p.m. with dinner following at 6 p.m.

The menu will feature corn chowder, roast turkey, sage dressing, butter whipped potatoes with giblet gravy, sweet potatoes, buttered English peas and maple-flavored pumpkin pie topped with fresh vanilla crème.

Tickets (275 pesos) must be purchased at the hotel prior to October 10. Those attending do not have to be members of the Canadian Club.

The Legion’s Thanksgiving

Canadian Thanksgiving dinner will be served at American Legion Post 7 in Chapala on Monday, October 13. The 2 p.m. dinner’s traditional menu includes turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberries, broccoli salad and pumpkin pie. Tickets for the event at 150 pesos are available at the Legion, Morelos 114 in Chapala or by contacting organizing director Barbara Madren at (376) 765-5752.

Ladies Coffee

Supporters of the School for Special Children are planning an October 14 ladies morning coffee gathering in a local historic home. The price for admission is the donation of at least one new or gently worn outfit for inclusion in the December 3 fundraising fashion show.

Tickets for reserved tables at the fashion show will be sold during this gathering.

Vintage and new apparel and accessories are gratefully accepted. Those who wish to attend the coffee morning will receive the address and time of the gathering when they RSVP by phone to Leslie Martin at (376) 766-2274 or via email to Patricia Doran at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Space is limited.

Welcome Back Party

The Lake Chapala Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion is planning a Wednesday, October 22 party at American Legion Post 7 to welcome snowbirds back to Lake Chapala.

The party fare will include Marco’s all you can eat barbecue buffet with chicken, ribs, chorizo, scalloped potatoes, coleslaw and salad bar.

The cocktail hour begins at 4 p.m. with dinner served at 5 p.m. and live music from 6 to 8 p.m.

The Legion is at Morelos 114 in Chapala. For tickets at 180 pesos, call Barbara Madren at (376) 765-5752 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

St. Andrew’s Anglican

An ancient parable that sounds like a contemporary warning, and the worldwide October 4 celebration of 13th century friar Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals (and of Chapala), are linked in Father Winston Welty’s sermon for Sunday, October 5. “Ignoring the Warning” will be the message during the 10 a.m. worship service at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church.

A children’s bilingual Sunday School program starts each week at 9:45 a.m. Following the worship service attendees will join in the garden for welcome, refreshment and fellowship.

St. Andrew’s supports a program that helps feed the needy. Non-perishable items including beans, rice, lentils, pasta, salt, oil, etc. can be placed in the baskets at the church doors on Sundays.

The Anglican “Company of Gentlemen” will meet at the church at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 8 for their informal monthly breakfast. Those attending should sign up on Sunday.

St. Andrew’s is located at Calle San Lucas 19, a block south of the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar.

Lakeside Presbyterian

Pastor Ross Arnold will deliver his fifth sermon gleaned from the “Chronicles of Narnia” during the Sunday, October 5, 10 a.m.  worship service. The series of children’s books are more than great adventure stories; they provide fresh insights and focus a spotlight on Christian faith from an entirely different angle.

The fifth book in series, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” is a wondrous tale about an adventurous sea voyage to mysterious lands and stirring allegory about the spiritual life of Christians. By pointing out the meaning and symbolism of the traps and temptations, dangers and  completed quest, Ross demonstrates Christian growth. As a “Dawn Treader” character remarks, “Most of us, I suppose, have a secret country, but for most of us it is only an imaginary country.” Many yearn for that country.  

Following the service, the congregation gathers in the garden for refreshments and fellowship. Lakeside Presbyterian Church is on the mountain side on the Carretera west of S&S Auto. Watch for the sign “You have family at Lakeside!”

Unitarian Universalists

Kathy Koches will present a program, “My experience with the American Justice System,” during the 10:30 a.m. service of the Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship which meets at the Plaza de la Ribera at Rio Bravo 10A in western Ajijic. A coffee hour follows the service.

Unitarian Universalists gather around common moral values that include the inherent worth and dignity of every person. The caring, open-minded, liberal community encourages others to seek a personal spiritual path wherever it leads.

Buddhist Community

The Heart of Awareness Buddhist Community meets in Ajijic for meditation and dharma teachings at 4:30 p.m. each Wednesday at Encarnation Rosas 9. “Showing Up Together: Enlightenment as an Irreducibly Social Phenomenon” from Shambhala Acharyaa Fleet Maul is the film planned for Wednesday, October 8.

Heart of Awareness is a non-sectarian Buddhist practice community grounded in the original teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Theravada/Vipassana tradition. Membership includes those with Zen, Tibetan and Shambhala backgrounds, as well as those who have no prior experience with meditation. For more information, call Karin Miles at (376) 766-0020.

San Andrés English

Rev. Basil G. Royston, D. Min., has planned a homily entitled, “The Vineyard of the Lord” for the 9 a.m. English Mass on Sunday, October 5 in the Ajijic Parish Church.

“The Church rejoices in being the vineyard of the Lord,” says Royston. “At the same time, we have cause here for much heart-searching and prayer.”

On the first Sunday of each month, the English congregation of San Andrés donates non-perishable food, cleaning products and paper products for the 27 children and staff of Villa Infantil de San Jose y Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe on the south side of Lake Chapala.

The Little Chapel

The interdenominational congregation of The Little Chapel by the Lake will meet for worship at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, October 5. Fellowship and refreshments will be shared with the members of Christ Church Lakeside at 10:45 a.m.

A portion of the service will be a message from Rev. Gene Raymer which he has titled “Seeing Sin.” After the worship service, the congregation will return to the fellowship hall for a pot luck lunch with Christ Church.

On the first Sunday of each month The Little Chapel collects beans and rice from both congregations for Love In Action to supplement the food supply for the children placed in their care.

The Little Chapel by the Lake is located on the mountain side of the Carretera in Chula Vista just east of the golf course.

Christ Church Lakeside

Father Danny Borkowski’s message during the 9:30 a.m. Sunday, October 5 worship service of the Christ Church Lakeside is based on Matthew 21:33-46 and has been titled, “The Vineyard.”

The congregations of Christ Church Lakeside and The Little Chapel by the Lake share a coffee fellowship from 10:35 until 11:10 a.m. The two groups will share a Cajun-themed potluck luncheon at about 12:15 p.m.

Christ Church members donate beans and rice for the children at Love in Action at the service on the first Sunday of the month. Pets are invited to come as Christ Church observes the Blessing of the Animals at 3 p.m. in front of The Little Chapel by the Lake on Sunday, October 5, the day after the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Deacon Rob Wells leads a Tuesday Bible study group from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall of The Little Chapel. The group is currently looking into the Gospel of Luke.

Christ Church meets at the Little Chapel by the Lake, Carretera 10 near the entrance of Chula Vista.